Lexi’s Year in Review

This is the fifth in a series here at Work at Home Moms Talk Radio. We’ve asked WAHMs to tell us about one regret, one proud moment, one new friend, one favorite resource and one resolution for the new year. This post is from Alexis Rodrigo of  The Savvy Freelancer.

We have a saying in the Philippines, “Ang hindi marunong tumanaw sa pinanggalingan, ay ‘di makakarating sa paroroonan” (He who does not know how to look at where he’s been, will never reach his destination.)

Some people don’t like dwelling on the past. They want to focus on the present and keep their eye on the future.

I agree that we can get stuck by only thinking of the past — past hurts, regrets, and disappointments. However, if we totally disregard it, we miss out on the wisdom the past holds for us.

This is why I always begin my yearly planning by reviewing what has happened in the past. I’m grateful to Kelly for giving me this opportunity to share with you how 2010 has been for me, and what gifts it had for me in terms of lessons that will help propel me towards my 2011 goals.

One Regret in 2010

I’ve promised myself never to have any regrets, and not to second-guess my decisions. However, I do have one regret in 2010: not hiring a bookkeeper sooner.

To manage my books, I’ve spent on online accounting software, a bookkeeping software that resides in my computer, and even the services of a bookkeeper to help me set up my books! I told myself I couldn’t afford a bookkeeper, that my business wasn’t big enough for one, and that it was simple enough for me to do.

All that may be true, but it was also true that I didn’t enjoy doing my books. In fact, I pretty much hated it (and I “hate” very few things in this world). I plodded and struggled in 2010 to do my own books and, in the end, I only did it up to August.

I’ve finally come around and hired a bookkeeper, who ended up to be much cheaper than I thought. What’s more, my books will be clean, and updated, which means no more 3 am days for me come tax time.

One Proud Moment in 2010

One of the proudest moments of 2010 for me was when I realized I had over 2000 subscribers in Aweber! At the beginning of the year, I set the impossible goal of increasing my list subscribers from a measly 300 in January to 2000 by December 2010. However, I reached that goal by October. This is one of my biggest Internet marketing achievements to date.

One New Friend in 2010

After moving half-way across the globe in 2008, I “lost” all my friends! And because I’ve never had an office job since then, I haven’t had the opportunity to make new real-life friends. This means I cherish my online friends all the more.

In 2010, I’ve had the privilege of making the friendship of many people. I couldn’t pick just one new friend, so I’d like to tell you about Jeff Young (of the Catholic Foodie podcast), Laura Spencer (Senior Editor of FreelanceFolder), and Andrea Vahl (aka Grandma Mary).

I met Jeff through his podcast and connected with him on Twitter. Since then, he’s become my subscriber, we’ve talked on Skype to help him get his freelancing off the ground, and I’ve also become a contributor to his newsletter. We often tweet or email each other about personal things, especially when I have questions about being Catholic.

I first connected with Laura on Twitter, before we began working together in FreelanceFolder. Laura is one hard-working and thorough editor. She makes our jobs so much easier. We ended up giving each other mugs for Christmas. The one she gave me says, “Life is good. Do what you like. Like what you do.”

As for Andrea, we met at the forums of the Remarkable Marketing Blueprint. I interviewed her for my webinar series, and we’ve continued to connect on Twitter and Facebook. She’s super helpful, genuine, and oh so funny! She’s very supportive and even allowed me to swipe one of her event titles.

One Favorite Resource in 2010

My most favorite resource for 2010 is Adobe Connect Pro, which I discovered through Kelly McCausey. I used it for my webinar series, which is one of the reasons I achieved my list building goal. It’s feature rich, reliable, and doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. I’ve also used it to create information products quickly and easily.

One Resolution for 2011

I’m resolved to take better care of my blogs.

In 2010, I saw how my blogs supported my various income streams: helping me find clients, attracting advertisers, building my list, making more affiliate sales, and selling more of my own information products. I’d previously neglected my blogs as I got busier and busier with client work. However, now that I’ve seen how useful and profitable a well-maintained blog can be, I’m going to keep my blogs fresh, updated, and relevant.

That was 2010 for me. It wasn’t all good stuff; in fact, I did NOT reach all my goals. However, looking back, I can appreciate the progress I’ve made, the lessons I’ve learned, and the blessings I was enriched with.

I now enter into 2011 with plenty of hope and optimism. Unlike some, I’m not driven to keep earning more and accomplishing more. I know where my happiness lies. 2010 has given me a taste of it, and I just intend to keep doing more of what works in 2011.